Keys from compass bearings, map coordinates and dates tied to the clues
43 key sequences built from bearings, distances and map coordinates linking Kryptos, the Berlin clock, the Berlin Wall, Giza and the Valley of the Kings, plus the years 1986 and 1989, the east-northeast bearing and a few digit strings, added to or subtracted from the carved text, directly and after three width-7 column orders (344 settings). Each result was then checked for a repeating key of length 2 to 24 on top.
In plain English: Tried keys made from compass bearings, map coordinates and dates connected to the clues, directly and with a simple column shuffle, then checked whether a repeating key could explain the rest. The score on this page is not a count of matched letters: it counts key positions that agree with the known letters at the best key length tried, and at key length 24 almost every position agrees automatically (any text scores at least 14). The best, 17 at key length 24, is within what chance can produce across 344 settings.
This record is negative within the tested scope.
NOISE
How to read this record
- Verdict – ELIMINATED (ruled out within the tested scope), NOISE (nothing beyond what chance produces for a search of this size; also shown when a record stored no verdict of its own), INCONCLUSIVE (the test left candidates or options standing, or could not decide, so it does not rule the method out), INTERESTING (slightly above random, almost certainly coincidence), SIGNAL (statistically unusual, warrants investigation), or FULL MATCH (all 24 known letters correct).
- Confidence Tier – Tier 1 = mathematical proof, valid while its stated assumptions hold. Tier 2 = every possibility within the stated scope tested. Tier 3 = partially tested or sampled. Tier 4 = not yet properly tested.
- Configs Tested – How many different key/parameter combinations were tried.
- Best Score – How many of the 24 known plaintext letters the best attempt matched (out of 24). N/A means no such score could be read from this record.
- Keystream Consistency (Bean) – Whether the key values at different positions are mathematically consistent with each other. The check only holds when the known letters stay in their carved positions (no letters rearranged or removed), and the full set used here assumes the standard A to Z alphabet.
- Scope Limitations – What this elimination does not rule out.
- Configs Tested
- 344
- Best Score
- 17 / 24 known letters matched · can occur by chance in searches like this
- Confidence
- Not classified.
- Script
scripts/thematic/sculpture_physical/e_s_32_compass_coordinate_key.py
Scope Limitations
This elimination does not rule out:
- Key sequences other than the 43 built here
- Column shuffles other than the three width-7 orders tried
- Repeating keys longer than 24 letters
Assumptions
- Key values added to or subtracted from the carved letters on the standard A-Z alphabet
- Known letters at their standard positions
Reproduce
PYTHONPATH=src python3 -u scripts/thematic/sculpture_physical/e_s_32_compass_coordinate_key.py
Requires the kryptos repo, Python 3.11+, PYTHONPATH=src. Some recent scripts may not be in the public repository yet.
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